Confident Kinsky earns trust of his Spurs teammates … and Postecoglou
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Antonin Kinsky has bred confidence in his new Tottenham teammates and liberated them, according to the manager, Ange Postecoglou, who is ready to pitch him into another huge challenge on Wednesday night – the north London derby at Arsenal. It has been a whirlwind period for the 21-year-old goalkeeper since his arrival from Slavia Prague on the Sunday before last; the £12.5m fee made it one of the most expensive transfers from the Czech league.
![[Ange Postecoglou looking unhappy as Tamworth fans shout from the stands behind him]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e2bcae829d97df1e87cc0ee81ab9871f36f283cc/0_206_5307_3185/master/5307.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
With the regular Spurs No 1, Guglielmo Vicario, out with a fractured ankle, Postecoglou put Kinsky into the lineup for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home against Liverpool last Wednesday. Everybody knew how it would have been portrayed if Kinsky made a mistake but he starred in the 1-0 win, making a couple of fine saves, and was largely assured with his distribution.
Then came a different game in the FA Cup on Sunday at non-league Tamworth, who brought a no-frills aerial approach on set pieces, including long throws. Kinsky stood firm in the 3-0 extra-time victory to become the first Spurs goalkeeper for more than 100 years to keep clean sheets in his first two matches. Postecoglou said he could talk up Kinsky’s technical ability but what had really impressed him was his mindset.
“It’s more to do with being prepared to embrace the challenge,” Postecoglou said. “It’s not easy going to a place like Tamworth and they’re throwing balls literally under the crossbar and you’ve got about 20 bodies around you. It’s more about mindset and tackling that, and he didn’t shy away from it.
